The development of optical experimental
techniques has contributed to obtain explanations
on the way the blood flows through microvessels. Although
the past results have been encouraging, detailed
studies on the flow properties of blood in the
microcirculation has been limited by several
technical factors such as poor spatial resolution and
difficulty to obtain quantitative detailed
measurements at such small scales. In recent years,
due to advances in computers, confocal
microscopy, and digital image processing
techniques, it has become possible to combine a
micro-particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) system
with a confocal microscope. The present study
shows for the first time confocal micro-PTV
measurements of the dynamic flow behaviour of
red blood cells (RBCs) in concentrated suspensions.
The measurements were performed at several
depths of a 100 um glass capillaries